When dozens of paddlecraft launched from Rock Hall, Maryland, for the 2023 Bay Paddle, one group of paddlers was particularly head-turning for spectators to watch: outrigger canoes with up to six teammates paddling together, in the tradition of Polynesian culture.
And if that’s an impressive sight, then watching them swap fatigued paddlers out for fresh ones while the canoe is moving at full speed is really something to behold. Cheryl Costello talks to a group of Kent Island-based paddlers bringing this Pacific tradition to the Chesapeake. Watch below:
